Winter Idioms in English

snowball’s chance in hell – to be very unlikely to succeed at something

ex: The small boat had a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving the storm.

dead of winter – the coldest, darkest part of winter

ex: It feels like the dead of winter out there.

to be on thin ice – to be in a risky situation

ex: If you keep asking him about his ex-girlfriend, you’ll be on thin ice.

pure as the driven snow – to be innocent and chaste (frequently used ironically)

ex: I never thought Madonna was pure as the driven snow, but the book she wrote is crazy!

to break the ice – to create a more friendly and relaxed atmosphere

ex: Charmaine was great at breaking the ice, she always knows what to say to people.

to run hot and cold – to be unable to make up one’s mind

ex: Alexi’s feelings about her run hot and cold, one minute he loves her, and the next, he’s bored of her.

the snowball effect – when something small keeps growing in importance or significance

ex: Gangnam Style’s popularity was such a snowball effect.

put something on ice – to stop doing something

ex: Herbert is going to put the project on ice until he gets a response from his supervisor.

snowed under – to be overwhelmed, usually with responsibilities

ex: I’m sorry I can’t go to the party tonight, I’m snowed under with homework.

Vocabulary:

to be stranded - to be unable to leave a certain place
significance – importance, distinction
abundance –  a large amount of something